Burn It to the Ground
by inkheart9459
Summary: Regina knew it would end this way, the town she built burning around her as she looks on, waiting for the idiots to come for her. Now that Cora is gone they have no use for her or this town. The last thing she expects is for Henry to try to save her after everything, yet here he is.


**Author's Note:** So this is what happened when I sat down to write SwanQueen fluff a few days ago. I have entirely no clue where this came from. I'm still sort of recovering from writing it. I hurt Regina, aaah. So be warned it's definitely not happy or fluffy in the slightest, and there's a character death, but you don't really see it. It's just mentioned almost in passing. Now that you've been warned read away. Reviews are always appreciated, even if you inform me that I might be a little evil for writing this. Believe me, I know.

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Regina hurts. More than she ever has before. A humorless smirk graces her face at that thought. Surely she must be about to die if she's in so much pain. Such a shame that emotional pain can't kill directly. She would've been dead long ago if it could.

She looks out her bedroom window at the town she used to rule. Everything used to be perfect. It is far from perfect now. Orange tinges the sky as everything she built burns to the ground. Her house would surely join those already aflame soon. Her foot nudged her bag just to make sure it was there for the millionth time. She had no control over her town anymore, but damned if she couldn't control what the idiot burned when she left in a cloud of purple smoke.

She glanced over at her still mostly full closet. Shame most of that was going to burn. There were much more important things in her home to save though. Pictures of much happier times, things that couldn't be replaced, filled most of her bag. Only the most practical of clothes had made it into the bag.

She snorted delicately. Well there was one _quite _unpractical article of clothing in her bag. But she wasn't about to think of it. If there was any way emotional pain could kill her, it would if she let her mind wander too far in that direction.

A group with torches turned onto Mifflin Street. So they were here at last. Regina bent to pick up her bag. It was time to go. She thanked the gods she had had the presence of mind to prepare for this. An apartment waited for her miles and miles away from the town she used to own. The idiots couldn't touch her there. They wouldn't be able to find her. Not that they would want to. They would be happy to just forget her and waltz back to the Enchanted Forest and pretend she never existed. As long as she was out of their lives what did it really matter?

"MOM!?" a voice ripped through the silent house.

Regina shouldered the bag quickly and strode from her room. "Henry?" she asked once she reached the hall.

Feet pounded on stairs. It would be useless to remind him about the house rules about running. There wouldn't be a house soon enough.

The small boy collided with her, almost knocking her off balance. He was getting to be so big. Tears stung at her eyes.

"Mom, they're coming. They want to hurt you. They're going to burn down our house."

She smiled through the tears and straightened Henry's hair. "I know."

"You have to stop them. They can't do this!"

"No, but that won't stop them."

"They're supposed to be the good guys. They can't do this." Henry was on the verge of crying himself. "I can't lose you too."

She knelt and wrapped Henry in a hug. "You won't Henry. I just can't be with you all the time. I can't stay here. They blame me for everything."

"But you were fighting with them. I saw you! How can they blame you? I mean yeah you cursed them, but you are better!"

She closed her eyes for a moment. It had been so long since she had been so innocent. It was almost impossible to relate.

"They don't see that Henry. And there's no one left to make them see. They want someone to blame, and they have me. I can't blame them, Henry. I have done horrible things to them, and there are some parts of me that aren't sorry for that."

"But you helped work against Cora! How can they still blame you? You're trying to be good. Shouldn't that count for something?"

"It doesn't count for enough." She heard the mob gathering around her house. Soon flames would be consuming everything. "Henry, you need to leave. It's not safe here anymore."

"No! They have to see that they can't just destroy everything and leave you here! You're my mom." A sob escaped him. "You're the only one I have left."

The tears slipped down her cheeks now. She could hold them back no longer.

"That's exactly why they're doing this Henry. The way your grandparents see it, if I had never existed none of this would've happened, that they would be happy back in our world." She took a shuddering breath. "That Emma wouldn't be dead."

"But Cora killed her, not you! You tried to heal her!"

"It doesn't matter Henry. Greif makes logic a twisted thing." Oh did she know about twisted logic. "Greif was why I cursed everyone in the first place, Henry."

The boy pulled back to look at his mother. His eyes bore into hers searching for the truth. "Really?"

"Yes, Henry, but it's not a story for now. You have to go. You have to be safe. Please Henry. I can't have you hurt, too."

He pulled from her grasp. "But where are you going to go?"

She smiled sadly. "Far away. Maybe someday I'll show you."

"Why can't I go with you? I don't want to go to the Enchanted Forest, not when they're like this. I don't like the things they say about you. I never did, but I was just so mad at you for being the Evil Queen I ignored everything. I'm so sorry mom."

"I know you are Henry. I'm sorry as well, for everything." The smell of smoke reached her nostrils. "But Henry you need to go now." She cast a protection spell around him. "Go. Please." Her eyes pleaded with him not to argue again.

"Let me go with you!" he exclaimed again, unconsciously reaching out to poke at the golden light surrounding him.

"Henry, if I take you with me, they'll never stop hunting me. You would never be safe with me. I can't put you through that. Henry _please_."

He ran up to her once more, wrapping his arms around her quickly. "I love you mom."

"I love you too."

"Please visit soon?"

"I will when it's safe."

He nodded and dashed off just as the first glow of orange painted the air around them.

Regina picked up her bag and swung her arm up, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

She collapsed on the floor of her new home. Tears were still streaming down her face. She ripped open her bag and dug to the very bottom, fingers wrapping around the item she wanted. She tugged the red leather out and buried her face in it, sobs beginning to wrack her body.

Damn Ms. Swan and her foolish courage. Damn everyone for leaving her here alone. Damn those idiots for separating her from her son. Damn everything. If only emotion could kill outright. If only it would take her now.

She sobbed into the jacket well past sunrise before finally succumbing to the blissful oblivion of sleep.


End file.
